Interatrial septum rupture during balloon measurement of a patent foramen ovale in a young patient presenting cryptogenic stroke

We report the case of a 36-year-old woman admitted for cryptogenic stroke, in whom the Patent Foramen Ovalle (PFO) diameter measurement, with a purpose built sizing balloon, performed before the closure procedure, was complicated with the rupture of the inter-atrial septum generating an Atria[ Septal Defect (ASD) with a significant left-to-right shunt. This kind of complication may not be easy to handle, changing the initial procedural strategy from PFO to ASD closure technique requiring specific material and operator's technical skill. (c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.